They had a heritage when
there were 14 songs from 7 countries. Now they don't bother. Big dollops
of shame.

News Item Number 4

The
Tourist Guide says

"When in AD 963, Count Siegfried built his "Lucilinburhuc"
(little castle) on a rocky promontory overlooking the river Alzette, little
did he know that his home was to become the cradle of one of the smallest,
yet one of the richest countries in the world.
The Luxembourger lives a fine life, where quality is above all of the
greatest importance. He demands a high quality of life for himself and
his family, he is proud of the high quality of the goods and services
he provides, and his high standards are not selfishly kept as his own.
He is happy to share his life with you. He is delighted and almost flattered
when you chose to visit him, and he wants you to know it. His is not so
much a welcome as an invitation to be pampered. Yet, despite their desire
to welcome others, and their will to be "as one" with their
neighbours, the people of Luxembourg have always been proud and protective
of their individuality. The nation's motto is "Mir wëlle bleiwe,
wat mir sin" - "We want to remain what we are".

Luxembourg
City

"Luxembourg, the capital of the Grand Duchy, is
delighted to greet you. You will get to know a more than millennial city,
which is proud of its rich, turbulent past and looks to the future optimistically.
Luxembourg boasts a large array of historical and cultural sights that
are worth seeing, lots of interesting and picturesque spots you can discover,
countless legends and anecdotes worth relating.

Luxembourg
is rated number one in the world for alcohol consumption, with each of
its residents downing an average 12.4 litres of pure alcohol in a year.
Blimey!

""Although
it has 400,000 inhabitants and is not quite as small as you might have
thought - 1,000 square miles, about the same size as Oxfordshire - Luxembourg
hasn't made much of an impact on the outside world. And that suits the
Luxembourgians just fine. Their little country is so peaceful and so unassuming,
that, until a few years ago, you could find the direct lines of government
ministers in the telephone book."

Even today, it's not unusual to spot the country's ruler
- Grand Duke Jean - shopping for underwear with his missus."

c600-700
Christianity spreads in the region. 1296 John the Blind, Count of Luxembourg,
was born. 1346 Charles IV of Luxembourg was elected Holy Roman Emperor
in Germany. 1582 The Gregorian calendar was adopted in Luxembourg and
the preceding ten days were lost to history. 1867 Luxembourg gained independence.
1890 Grand Duchy of Luxembourg separated from the Netherlands.1914 Germany
informs Luxembourg of its intention to pass its troops through their countries.
1914 Germany invades. 1920 Belgian-Luxembourg toll tunnel opened. 1940
German begin a blitzkrieg 1944 American troops enter. 1948 France, Great
Britain and Benelux signed the Treaty of Brussels. 1964 Grand Duke Jean
began his rule. 1993 Billions of marks to flow out of Germany and into
Luxembourg. 1999 Euro currency introduced.2000 Grand Duke Jean planned
to abdicate in favor of his eldest son Prince Henri.

"Luxembourg
is so modest that one tends to want to lump it with one of its neighbours.
History may not be littered with the deeds of great Luxembourgians but
the very fact of its continued existence - a unique link to an age when
Europe was a patchwork of similar-sized states - is something of which
the people are quietly, and justifiably, very proud."... But
there is always Joseph Kutler or Charly Gaul